From Cooktown to the Gold Coast, our specialist government lawyers bring commitment and understanding to the matters concerning local governments today.
Many of our competitors have ‘abandoned the regions’ but we strive to provide quality service to our local government clients irrespective of size or geography.
We support the industry associations which support Queensland local governments such as the Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA), Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and the Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia Queensland Division (IPWEAQ).
We appreciate the complex and extensive range of issues facing Queensland local governments, as regulators, commercial entities and as employers of a large and diverse workforce.
Timely, practical and cost effective legal services
We value-add by designing training seminars for local government to improve awareness, administrative and enforcement procedures.
We provide advice to all levels of local government, including Councillor and CEO level through to officers within the corporate structure.
Queensland local governments have a special role as a model litigant. We always endeavour to keep public interest considerations at the forefront of our minds in conducting litigation for local government.
In planning and environment matters we aim to explore ‘win/win’ negotiated outcomes as a first measure in any dispute. Our experience in the property and development industry, often acting for developers, gives us a unique insight into the issues for local governments. We work to achieve commercial and practical solutions that respect the integrity of important and hard-fought environmental and planning strategies.
Our specialist legal services include:
- local government advisory - advice on all administrative, commercial and other corporate matters that arise for local governments under legislation such as the Local Government Act 2009 and the Sustainable Planning Act 2009
- dispute resolution - representation for local governments in all courts including the Planning and Environment Court, Magistrates Court, Industrial Relations Commission and other civil courts as well as strategic advice on construction payment disputes and insurance claims
- front-end commercial - preparation of all commercial related documents for local governments including agreements relating to procurement, infrastructure, construction and employment
- administrative law and corporate governance - compliance with a range of administrative law requirements including codes of conduct, new committee meeting procedures, ethics, public interest disclosure and environmental and safety duties, and
- training - preparation of material and seminars across a diverse range of local government activities such as employment and enforcement (including evidence collection procedures).
We recognise our local government clients' energy and passion for the community. We match that with enthusiasm and technical excellence to get the best results every time.
